How I Went From a Skinny Guy Wanting To Build Muscle To ‘Fit, Strong and Muscular’ In Just 30 Days – By Following a ‘Secret’ Bodybuilding System!

Like most skinny guys who want to build muscle, I’m a ‘hard gainer’ or ectomorph.

Y’know, I have the thin, fragile body type which seems a far cry from the muscular hulks who span the cover page of bodybuilding magazines or adorn the homepages of muscle gaining websites.

If you remember or can relate to this ad for an Atlas “bull worker” muscle building machine, then you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Especially this cartoon strip of a bully kicking sand in the face of a wimpy looking guy who’s at the beach with his girl. I’d see it in every comic book I read – and each time, it made me cringe!

An Adonis-like body always seems like a remote dream – no matter how hard I worked out or trained, no matter how many supplements I took or diets I tried.

Muscle never seems to stick on to my bones.

And then, everything magically changed… once I realized the bodybuilding mistakes I had been making, and followed a proven muscle gaining SYSTEM with this skinny guy workout plan.

This story is about exactly what I did for 30 days to put on muscle like never before and get fit, strong and heavier.

A Word of Introduction About Bodybuilding

Before I get started, let me bust some muscle gaining myths…

Bodybuilding for hardgainers is NOT EASY. In fact, if you’re an ectomorph (a.k.a. skinny guy!) like me, you’ll have to work harder and accept a lesser result than others. That’s just how it is.

Muscle gaining takes discipline and consistency. If you can’t (or won’t) put in the effort daily for 30 days to workout for atleast half an hour, forget about bodybuilding.

It isn’t magic or wishful thinking that’ll bulk you up. It’s just pumping iron, lifting weights, doing push-ups, and following a simple workout schedule. No frills and fancies. No costly gym equipment or memberships necessary.

What you eat matters just as much as how hard you exercise. Unless you learn what to eat and when, you can pump dumbbells or do squats till your muscles burn – and have nothing to show for it in the end.

Bodybuilding is as much mental as it is physical. You need the right attitude, determination and discipline to succeed at putting on more muscle. Working on your mind while you train your body is critical to success.

Ok, with those general points out of the way, let’s begin.

1. Choose Your Guide

Like you, I too have struggled to gain muscle for several years. I have tried one system after another. None of them worked.

Ok, so a few did work in the short term. But the gains quickly peaked. Beyond that point, it hardly mattered how much harder or longer I exercised. Nothing happened.

When I started following Jason Ferruggia‘s bodybuilding program, I didn’t expect anything to be different.

But it was.

By starting out explaining what a ‘hard gainer’ (ectomorph) was, and why we have so much trouble gaining muscle, Jason set the tone for HOW I would follow the exercise routine recommended in Renegade Strength Club.

And that helped stick with the skinny guy workout plan!

When you understand what’s going on with your body as you work out, and realize why each component of a bodybuilding program is important, you’re more likely to follow the advice more closely.

That’s why, with MGS 2.0, I didn’t question or hack the system. I just followed it. And that’s also the reason why it worked out so well.

You don’t necessarily have to follow Jason Ferruggia’s program. Pick any of the others, if you like. There are some nice ones reviewed here at ‘Bodybuilding Reviews‘.

Once you’ve chosen your muscle building guide, FOLLOW IT.

2. Pick Your Program

No, it’s not the same thing as choosing your guide.

You see, most guides, trainers and fitness coaches have tailored workout routines for different kinds of people.

Some may be serious bodybuilders who plan to compete in shows. Others may just want to exercise for fitness. A few may need to bulk up for health reasons.

Each kind of bodybuilder has a different set of requirements.

And skinny guy workout programs can be designed to specifically meet those needs.

That’s why you should take the time to pick a program that’s right for you.

Think about why you’re working out.

Decide your own goals and end-points.

See if a program will be suitable to your physical capabilities.

Check if you have access to any special equipment or resources that are needed.

Then pick your bodybuilding program. Unless your proposed exercise plan is one you can get excited about and embrace wholeheartedly, trust me… you won’t stick with it for 30 days (or more).

3. Buy Your Equipment

Not all exercise workouts require costly or specialized equipment. But almost every muscle gaining program involves lifting weights and doing certain exercises.

You can make do with household items for most exercises. Any heavy piece of metal, like a flat iron or pipe, can serve as weights. A doorway with a horizontal frame can become your pull-up crossbar. And there’s nothing wrong with doing push-ups on the floor or using a couch or chair as an exercise strut.

But sometimes, it can be a smart investment to buy some exercise equipment.

I bought a pair of dumbbells with detachable weights of 1 kg. each. It was very reasonably priced, at around $3 per kilogram.

The advantage with buying weights is that it was comfortable to lift them, and I could make more precise adjustments as I progressed through my program and gained muscle.

One reason I liked Jason Ferruggia’s ‘Renegade Strength Club’ guide is that it offered multiple options as alternatives for a skinny guy workout plan.

If you want to do an exercise or workout, Jason suggests various ideas – buying equipment, re-purposing something around the house, or even doing an equivalent exercise without using equipment at all.

That’s nice. It lets you tailor a exercise routine to your circumstances. After all, not everyone is looking to spend a small fortune on bodybuilding!

Where to get your exercise equipment?

The best bet is to visit a sports store near home. Most shops have expert salespeople who can guide you to making the right choice.

Of course, if you have access (and a budget!), you could sign up for a gym membership where you’ll have a range of machines and weights to use.

4. Decide Your Workout Schedule

Remember what I said about discipline being most important to achieve your bodybuilding goals?

Well, it begins by setting yourself a routine which is convenient and comfortable, fits into your regular daily activity schedule. Otherwise, if you have to struggle and suffer to find time to exercise, you’ll be tempted to give up soon.

So the first thing is to decide WHEN you’re going to exercise.

There’s advantages in doing your workout early in the morning. And later in the evening. And any time in between.

In other words, it doesn’t quite matter!

Just make sure you get it done. At the same time every day. So you’ll establish a routine.

Personally, given my work day, it made more sense to exercise in the evening (around 5 p.m.). So I’ll drink a cup of coffee at five ‘o’ clock and exercise for the next 45 minutes.

Jason Ferruggia himself works out in the mornings, soon after waking up. Your preference is what matters.

Once you’ve assigned time out of your daily cycle for exercise, it’s time to formulate your skinny guy workout routine – what exercises you’ll do, how long you’ll do each one for, what sequence will you follow, and how long you’ll rest in between sets.

My Bodybuilding Skinny Guy Workout Plan

I promised to outline exactly what workout pattern I followed to gain muscle in 30 days following the Renegade Strength Club 2.0 program – and I will.

Here is a brief outline of my exercise regimen. If you don’t know what a particular exercise is, don’t worry. I didn’t either. And no guide will explain everything fully.

The good news is that there are countless YouTube video tutorials that explain each exercise with live demonstrations.

Just watch them for a few minutes, listen to the trainer explain the vital points to follow, and then go ahead and do the exercise.

Easy-peasy!

I start my workout with a set of 6 warm-up exercises. I do each one for 8 ‘reps’ (repetitions) using a 2.5 kg dumbbell, taking short 10-30 second breaks in between.

Warming Up

Warm up exercise #1: Lateral dumbbell raise

Warm up exercise #2: Bent over lateral raise

Warm up exercise #3: Bent over Y-raise

Warm up exercise #4: Shrug

Warm up exercise #5: Dumbbell front raise

Warm up exercise #6: External rotation lying on side

This will typically take 10 to 12 minutes, after which the regular workout begins.

Renegade Strength Club Workout Exercises

1. Bodyweight Prisoner Squat:8-10 reps, 3 sets

2. Bench Press:7-8 reps, 3 sets

3. Military Press:7-8 reps, 3 sets

4. Hammer Curl:7-8 reps, 3 sets

5. Inclined Dumbbell Row:7-8 reps, 3 sets

Notes:

Even the ‘Beginner’ workout in RSC has way more exercises than this. I adapted the routine for myself, and only do these routines. It worked well. Maybe, if I’d pushed to do the entire recommended workout, my muscle gain would have been faster (or greater)!

While starting out, I did only 1 set of each exercise. In a few days, as my muscles got toned and stronger, I was able to step up to two sets. A week or so later, I could manage 3 sets of each comfortably. That’s how rapid muscle gain can be.

Once again, I’ll stress this important message.

More than your workout routine and what exercises are in it, what matters is that you exercise REGULARLY. Which is why discipline is high on the list of things that define your muscle gaining success.

Even if you’re a hardgainer (ectomorph), you can gain muscle nicely by working out on a system.

5. Plan Your Bodybuilding Diet

What you eat determines how nicely your muscles bulk up.

Too many bodybuilders work out enthusiastically – but drop the ball when it comes to eating right.

Many don’t care to inform themselves about the best bodybuilding diet and nutrition plan. Make sure that the program you follow has advice about what to eat and when.

Jason Ferruggia’s ‘Renegade Strength Club 2.0‘ comes with a detailed meal plan including instructions on how to plan, cook and eat for the best muscle gaining outcome.

Maybe you can’t cook and eat 6 meals a day. So you’ll have to work around that constraint. Or maybe you have food allergies that must be taken into consideration.

Some people cannot consume the necessary nutrients through food alone and will require extra supplements to make up the deficit.

Whatever it takes to get your bodybuilding diet going, you must make sure you manage it. That’s because all the effort you put into workouts will go to waste if you don’t back it up with an adequate nutrition.

Eat right, and you’ll gain muscle – fast!

6. Psyche Yourself Up

If you’re not in the habit of exercising regularly, sticking to a workout plan can be the hardest thing in your life.

I faced this challenge almost daily. When the clock ticked around to 5 p.m., a strange reluctance seemed to set in. My mind started furiously seeking excuses to delay starting my workout.

Luckily, Jason Ferruggia’s ‘Renegade Strength Club has an entire section in it devoted to psyching oneself up for exercise.

It helped.

Also, my intense desire to gain muscle at least this time helped. This was going to be the skinny guy workout plan that actually works for me!

Strangely enough, the resistance was only to getting started. Almost never was I tempted to give up midway through a workout. In fact, I didn’t even cut short a routine except once (when my arm ached so badly, I did 5 reps instead of 8 in a set).

So knowing that the hardest part is to begin, I developed a ‘cheat’. I’d fool my body by pretending to ignore the clock – and then, suddenly, jump up, grab my dumbbells, and start warm up exercises.

Of course, all through the day I also kept reminding myself about the importance of my program – and reassured myself that it wasn’t in vain this time, by flexing my arms and watching those biceps pop up nicely!

So make a committment that you’ll stick with your workouts for at least a month.

That promise you make to yourself will be the biggest factor that determines whether or not you’ll gain muscle.

By putting these principles into practice, in just 30 days I went from ‘skinny guy’ to fit, strong and muscular.

You can do it too.

Just pick the right program, follow it with persistence, and enjoy the results.

Here’s wishing you happy muscle gains and better fitness!

So You Want To Learn How To Gain Muscle?

This is a program that is delivered online and has been developed by a fitness instructor and muscle builder named Jason Ferruggia. He has been working in the fitness industry for almost two decades and has used his knowledge of training hundreds of people to develop a program that will help you get the lean muscle mass that you have always wanted.

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